Cyber Incident Victim: Russian Federation
Date:
Sep 2015
Location:
Russia
Summary
A very powerful hacker attack targeted the Russian president's official website, but the defense systems successfully repelled it despite significant pressure. The Kremlin's spokesperson confirmed the incident without disclosing the source, though specialists reportedly identified the perpetrators. Separately, the national electoral commission reported a similar cyber-attack involving 50,000 requests per minute aimed at altering data on its site, which was also thwarted and attributed to a company based in San Francisco.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On September 14, 2015, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the Russian president’s official website had been subjected to a "very powerful" cyberattack the previous day, Sunday, September 13. Peskov stated the attack was successfully repelled by the site’s defense systems, though he acknowledged the defensive effort had been challenging. He declined to identify the source of the attack, citing insufficient details at his disposal, but expressed confidence that Russian cybersecurity specialists possessed the technical data to determine its origin. The announcement highlighted the targeting of a high-profile government digital asset but did not disclose specific technical details about the attack vector, duration, or whether any data compromise occurred. Concurrently, Vladimir Churov, head of Russia’s Central Electoral Commission, separately reported that the commission’s website had also suffered a cyberattack on September 13. Churov characterized the assault as involving approximately 50,000 requests per minute, an attempt to breach and alter the site’s data.
The Electoral Commission attack was unsuccessful, with Churov asserting that forensic analysis had traced the activity to a company based in San Francisco, United States. He indicated that formal documentation of the attack’s origin and methodology would be compiled and released by the end of that week. Neither Peskov nor Churov suggested a direct link between the two incidents, and no further technical specifics—such as the exact nature of the attacks, tools used, or specific vulnerabilities exploited—were disclosed by either official. The Kremlin’s public acknowledgment emphasized the defensive success against a significant threat, while the Electoral Commission’s statement focused on attribution to a foreign entity. No additional impacts, such as secondary system disruptions, data exfiltration, or broader infrastructure damage, were reported in connection with either event.